Keep reading, as I’ll be giving you tips on how to get rid of cluster flies inside and outside your home.
Cluster flies will cause you a lot of inconveniences, the same as houseflies. They also carry and spread diseases too.
They aren’t the kind of visitors you want in your home or yard. Getting rid of them shouldn’t be hard if you take the right steps.
Where Do Cluster Flies Come From?
Do you see large flies in the house all of a sudden? Here is how to confirm which fly you are dealing with.
You could easily get cluster flies confused with a regular housefly. However, there are slight differences in their looks.
Their colors are the easiest way to tell them apart. A housefly has metallic green or blue colors on their ovular body, but cluster flies do not.
Also, a cluster fly has a wider wingspan than a regular housefly. Their wings also form a triangular shape, as opposed to the semi-straight line shape that the wings of a housefly have.
Another difference between them is that the female cluster flies lay their eggs in cracks, either in the walls but mostly in the cracks in the soil.
Lastly, cluster flies are slow movers, this is unlike a housefly that moves quickly.
Identifying their differences will help you decide on the best approach to get rid of them.
As for their seasons, cluster flies are most likely to invade your home during the winter season. They do not like cold environments, as that could kill them.
During the winter, they will search for warm and cozy places to over-winter and lay their eggs. Your home provides exactly just what they are looking for.
They can make their way in through cracks in the doorway or window post. If the windows are left open without a mesh screen, then expect them to enter in large numbers.
Treatment Options To Get Rid Of Cluster Flies
Cluster flies could be a real nuisance, but there are several means by which you can get rid of them.
Follow the tips below.
Find Their Hiding Spots
If you come across one cluster fly, then you can be sure there are more in your home. The first step to eradicating them would be to locate the spots where they are hiding.
Cluster flies will lodge in-between the cracks in your walls or wooden structures, as they prefer tight spaces to open areas. If they are outdoors, then they will be lodged in-between the cracks in the soil or concrete flooring.
These are the areas where you need to look. When you locate their nesting spots, you can proceed to take steps in eradicating them.
Swat Them
A fly swatter is a simple invention that has been used to kill flies for a very long time. They can also be used to kill cluster flies.
Luckily, cluster flies do not move fast and are relatively easy to swat.
Buy a fly swatter and use them against cluster flies. All you have to do is swing the swatter at them as you see them.
Keep in mind though, this method of extermination is only useful against them of they are small in number. If you have a lot of cluster flies in your home, then you need to employ more thorough insect control methods.
One more thing, you have to be ready to sweep them up as you swat!
Vacuum Them Away
If you find them lodged in cracks on your flooring or in the wall, then you can simply suck them up and dispose of them using a vacuum.
A compact vacuum will be your best bet since the cracks where they are hiding will most likely be in tight corners. Smaller vacuums will offer you more maneuverability than a large one, that’s when you’re working the cracks in the walls.
On the other hand, if they are gathered on your carpet, then you can use a larger vacuum to suck them up.
Remove Their Source Of Food
Young cluster flies (larvae) can dig into the soil in search of small earthworms to eat. The adults on the other hand feed on nectar and plant sap, fruits, flowers, and several forms of organic matter.
If you have any of these in your home, then cluster flies will not only be attracted to it, they will remain in that environment since it provides the food they need.
Removing their food sources is a simple tactic to get rid of them.
Do not let any food rot in your kitchen. Be sure to dispose of all leftovers appropriately. Dump them in an air-tight plastic bag and seal it to deny them access into the garbage.
Also, take out the trash when it’s full. Leaving it in your kitchen only gives the flies a feeding option.
If you have potted plants, then cluster fly larvae will dig into the soil in search of earthworms. You can rid your potted plant soil of earthworms by using organically made insect killers.
If the earthworms are gone, the larvae will have a shortage of a primary food source.
Remember that the larvae can also feed off plant sap, so be sure to use a sharp pruning tool to cut of the branches that are dripping sap.
When there is nothing for the cluster fly larvae to feed on, they will starve and die.
Use A Bug Zapper
Using a bug zapper is an easy way to kill cluster flies. Zappers work utilizing light and electrocution.
The cluster flies will be attracted to the light (as most insects would), and they would be zapped to death as they perch on it.
You can buy one or two bug zappers and install them in areas where the fly activities would be at the highest. These would be areas that you would have the most organic matter, being your kitchen and dining area.
You can also install one in your living room and outside your front porch.
Use An Insecticide
This is by far the easiest, stress-free method of killing cluster flies. There are different types of insecticides, some are organic, while others are chemical-based.
Organically made pesticides have an advantage over the chemical-based ones in the area of environmental safety. They do not contain toxins so they are safe to use around pets and children.
You can make your organic pesticide using items such as garlic, cayenne pepper, and Neem oil.
You can use an organic insecticide against cluster fly larvae found in your potted plant soil.
Neem oil for instance can be applied around the soil surface and on the plant itself. Not to worry, the oil will not harm the plants, neither will it damage the soil. This is how to get rid of cluster flies naturally.
As for the chemical-based pesticide, you can simply buy one from a store and spray it into the spaces where the cluster flies reside.
The first place you need to spray it into the cracks in the walls, as that is their favorite hiding spot.
Be sure to keep the spray can away from pets and children, as the content is harmful. Also, protect yourself by wearing a face mask to avoid inhaling the Insecticide.
Make sure you read the instructions on the spray can before you use it.
How To Keep Cluster Flies Away From Your Yard
Follow these steps to remove cluster flies from your yard and get rid of them naturally.
Seal All The Cracks In The Ground
Female cluster flies will go into soil and concrete cracks to lay their eggs.
You can eliminate their breeding environment by sealing all the cracks in your concrete or brick floors. If there are cracks in your garden soil, you can equally seal them up using soil.
Removing all their breeding spots will leave the flies with no choice but to go elsewhere to breed.
Introduce Natural Predators
If your garden has fruit trees, then you should expect some of the fruits to fall off the branches and rot on the floor. The decaying fruit can attract cluster flies, both adults, and larvae.
One way to control them is by introducing natural predators that will eat them up. One of such predators is frogs.
Frogs are big lovers of flies and will eat as many as their bellies can carry. You can get a few and introduce them to your garden to help you control the cluster flies.
These flies do not move fast, and they wouldn’t stand a chance against the quick tongue of a frog.
There is one problem with this method though, the frogs wouldn’t just eat the cluster flies, they will also eat the beneficial insects in your garden.
Consider this before you introduce them.
Use Organic Repellent Sprays
You can buy an organic fly repellent and spray it all around your garden. This will not harm your plants, but they will keep the cluster flies away.
How To Keep Them Away From Entering Your Home
You can install window mesh screens and seal off all the cracks that can grant them entry into your home.
Conclusion
Cluster fly control is very simple, just follow the tips in this article and the problem will be solved.
I trust this article on how to get rid of cluster flies has been helpful.
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